Wi-Fi upgrade for digital cameras

Eye-Fi develops Wi-Fi-enabled SD cards for digital cameras

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Digital camera owners will be able to upgrade their cameras to send images via Wi-Fi with Eye-Fi's new Wi-Fi enabled memory card technology.

The Eye-Fi technology integrates Wi-Fi chips on to SD memory cards that can slip into any SD card supporting digital camera. When in Wi-Fi range, the Eye-Fi cards will let you send pictures remotely to your home PCs or upload them to photo-sharing websites.

The Eye-Fi memory cards are designed to run only when the networking facilities are required, so the Wi-Fi chip doesn't eat up your camera's battery power. The Eye-Fi card can be set up to send images directly to an email address or website.

You can also set the Eye-Fi card to send images automatically when taken or at the end of a photo session. Eye-Fi is currently in negotiations with image-hosting websites to support the Eye-Fi service.

Eye-Fi is targeting its SD card-based Wi-Fi service at existing owners of digital cameras keen on boosting the snap-and-send connectivity of their cameras. While Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras are already available, the Eye-Fi solution promises a plug-and-play upgrade path for non-Wi-Fi cameras around $100 (£50), with up to 2GB of memory storage included.

The first Eye-Fi product is currently undergoing beta trials and is expected to go on sale later this year.